Day trip to Kagoshima, the southernmost city in Kyushu. Today is dry and warm, probably warmer than I like. Kagoshima has a  a garden, Sengan en, which they say, uses the bay and volcano for borrowed scenery. This one was easy. Got the train and the bus, going and coming, with no trouble and very little waiting. The garden is on a small mountain, I think 650 meters high. The lowest part is filled with restaurants and shopping. The actual garden is off to one side of the shops and I missed it. I was annoyed with all the commerce and I started instead to climb toward the peak.

As you climb the vegetation becomes more wild. It was lovely, but hardly what I would call a garden. I never got to the top, too much climbing on steep rocky stairs. I went up a short way and had trouble getting back down. I hate stairs, did I tell you that? I saw some photos and the area at the top looks like a manicured lawn, a viewpoint for the bay and the volcano.

I met a man coming down from the top and he advised me not to go. Said the steps were very steep. I was happy to take his advice. I think he is the man of my dreams and he will remain only in my dreams since I don’t even know his name. He is British, a mountain climber, going around the world climbing mountains and looking at volcanoes. He is nice looking, has a lovely voice and a polished accent. I expressed some surprise about the amount of time he was taking for this round the world trip and he told me he was 70, retired with a pension and had rented out his house. I was certain he was more like 60 and was with some kind of video or film crew making travel films. He had the looks and the voice for it. This is clearly the guy I want: great shape, interested in everything. Too bad he climbs mountains. That and parachute jumping are among the few experiences I am not willing to try.

My suitcase, filled with dirty laundry was waiting for me when I returned to the hotel. So, back to the mundane; you know what I did all evening.